A Georgia family’s frantic search for their missing 4-year-old daughter ended in tragedy last weekend after the child was found unresponsive inside the family’s home.
First responders found Jayde Wooten receiving CPR in the driveway of her parents’ home on the 1200 block of Rocky Creek Road in Macon shortly before 2 p.m., according to an incident report.
Jayde’s father, Maleek, told a deputy that he had just returned home when he noticed his daughter was missing from her bedroom, WGXA reported.
He asked Jayde’s mother, Jordenn Jones-Wooten, when she had last seen the child. She reportedly said Jayde had been eating in the kitchen before falling asleep.
Maleek told investigators that he searched every room in the house but could not find his daughter. He then went outside to look for her and ask neighbors whether they had seen Jayde, according to WGXA.
When he heard Jayde’s mother scream, Maleek ran back inside and found the child upside down in a bathroom garbage can filled with water and fish, according to incident reports obtained by WGXA.
The report also said that water was running in small puddles out through the front door.
Maleek removed his daughter from the container and carried her outside while urgently calling for help.
Jayde Wootsen, 4, died after she was found upside down inside a garbage can filled with water and fish
Her parents received help from neighbors who performed CPR on the girl but Jayden was pronounced dead in the hospital later that day
Her family set up an online fundraiser asking for support: ‘Any kindness shared through this fundraiser will help ease some of the financial burden during an incredibly painful time’
A neighbor told the deputy that Jayde’s mother was also seeking assistance and came to her home.
The neighbor and another woman reportedly took turns performing CPR until deputies from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office arrived.
One neighbor told the deputy that Jayde expelled fluid from her mouth and briefly opened her eyes during CPR. The neighbor then placed the child on her side to help clear her airway.
The second neighbor said she was unable to detect a pulse while performing CPR, according to documents reviewed by WGXA.
Emergency responders transported Jayde to a medical facility, where medical staff later pronounced her dead, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.
Her autopsy results were still pending as of Saturday night.
A GoFundMe campaign created by Jayde’s family described her death as a “horrible accident.”
The fundraiser is intended to help pay for funeral expenses and support Jayde’s parents in the months ahead.
“No parent should ever have to face this kind of pain,” the fundraiser stated.
Jordenn Jones-Wooten and Maleek Wooten experienced every parent’s worst nightmare
Jordenn wrote in a Facebook post: ‘I don’t know how to explain the emptiness, the shock, the anger, the heartbreak, or the moments when it still doesn’t feel real’
The results of Jayden’s autopsy remained pending as of Saturday night as the official cause of her death is yet to be determined
The Jones County School System stated they are ‘deeply saddened’ by the loss of one of its Pre-Kingerdaten students.
It also shared thoughts and prayers for the student’s family, friends, classmates, and ‘all who loved them.’
In a Wendesday post, two days before deleting Facebook, Jordenn publicly shared her thoughts: ‘Please stop asking me if I’m okay. I know you mean well. I know you’re asking because you care.
‘But the truth is, I’m not okay. I lost my 4-year-old. My baby. My child. And there is no version of “okay” that exists for me right now.
‘I don’t know how to put into words what it feels like to wake up and remember that my daughter is gone. I don’t know how to explain the emptiness, the shock, the anger, the heartbreak, or the moments when it still doesn’t feel real.
‘I don’t need anyone to fix this, because this isn’t something anyone can fix. I just need to be allowed to grieve my little girl without having to pretend that I’m okay.’
The Daily Mail reached out to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office for comment on the investigation.